Advent: A Divine Disruption A Divine Reset
Dr. Tony Evans is a bestselling author, and pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas. His radio show the Alternative is broadcast worldwide on over 1,400 stations. Dr. Evans is the founder of the Urban Alternative, a Christian based Bible teaching and resource ministry. With his late wife of 49 years Dr. Lois Evans, they are the parents of four adult children all who are involved in ministry.
In less than two years the Evans family lost eight loved ones. Including the matriarch of the family Dr. Lois Evans. The experience shook the family’s faith, tested their relationships, and stretched their understanding of God’s will.
Describing these two years Dr. Evans says, “When God allows a divine disruption it is time for a divine reset.”
The birth of Jesus is the biggest divine disruption the world has ever known. Jesus, the Divine Son of God, became human, born in the humblest conditions, a manger, because there was no room at the inn, teaching God’s New Covenant to a skeptical population and to even more skeptical disciples. Dealing with the Pharisees and teachers of religious law who were so fearful of the Gospel that they conspired to have him killed. Jesus did all this while traveling the land performing miracles, bringing sight to the blind, healing the sick, raising the dead and being raised himself from the dead. A divine disruption that has
provided us with a divine reset from the darkness of sin to a life of divine light that we can all live in if we reset our lives from the disruption of sin to following Jesus.
Advent is the time where we celebrate and get ready for the divine disruption and the divine reset that the birth of Jesus brings to us. Over the next five weeks we will study the divine disruption which is Advent in our worship services and Bible Studies.
On the first Sunday of Advent, November 27th we explored the hope that God brings in a time of disruption as we looked at the story of Zechariah in the temple from Luke chapter 10. (Read Luke 1: 8-15, 18-20, 68-69)
In this exploration Zechariah’s inability to speak is a divine disruption by the Lord via the angel Gabriel. And as Dr. Evans has told us “When God allows a divine disruption it is time for a divine reset.”
Zechariah’s Divine’s Reset:
1. Zechariah clearly understood that his disruption was divine. Look what Zechariah was told about the nature of his disruption in verses19-20: 19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child
is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
Question: How can we tell if the disruption in our lives is divine?
2. Zechariah did not let disruption stop him from serving the Lord. Verses 21-23 reveals what Zechariah did after he could not speak: 21 Outside, the people were still waiting for Zechariah and were surprised that he was staying so long in the Temple. 22 When Zechariah came outside, he could not speak to them, and they knew he had seen a vision in the Temple. He could only make signs to them and remained unable to speak. 23 When his time of service at the Temple was finished, he went home.
Question: What steps must we take to keep serving the Lord regardless of if our disruption is divine or not?
3. Zechariah praised the Lord during the disruption, after the disruption, and now part of the reset.
When the Baby John was born Zechariah regained the ability to speak. This is what he said in verses 68 and 69. 68 Let us praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to help his people and has given them freedom. 69 He has given us a powerful Savior from the family of God’s servant David.
Question: What things will make it difficult to praise the Lord during a disruption?
Reflection: Describe a reset you have experienced from a divine disruption?
Divine Disruption
We will use Dr. Evans’s account of those two years of distribution and reset chronicled in a book he wrote with his children entitled Divine Disruption as the backdrop of our Bible study.
In this four-week study we will explore death, remembrances, faith, fear, and legacy--all disruptions that can lead to a divine reset.
I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born,” says the Lord.
Isaiah 66:9 NCV
Question: If a disruption cause pain can it be divine? If so how do we explain the pain caused by the disruption.
The Evans Family
The book Divine Disruption is told by Dr. Tony Evans and his children.
Dr. Tony Evans is a pastor, bestselling author, and frequent speaker at Bible conferences and seminars across the nation. He has served as senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship for more than forty years, witnessing its growth from ten people in 1976 to now over ten thousand congregants with one hundred plus ministries. Dr. Evans is founder of The Urban Alternative, a Christian Bible-teaching and resource ministry. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Tony Evans, can be heard on over 1,400 radio outlets daily and in more than 130 countries. Dr. Evans was married to Lois, his wife and ministry partner, for nearly fifty years. They have four children, thirteen grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.
Chrystal Evans Hurst is an energetic, fun loving “girl next door” who loves to encourage other women in fulfilling their full potential in Christ. Chrystal is a gifted writer, speaker, worship leader, and most importantly, the COO of the Hurst household. Chrystal is a dedicated wife to her husband, Jessie, and homeschooling mother of five: Kariss, Jessica, Jesse III, Kanaan, and Joel. Chrystal and her family reside in a small town just outside of Dallas, Texas.
Priscilla Shirer is a wife and a mom first but put a Bible in her hand and a message in her heart and you’ll see why thousands meet God in powerful, personal ways at her conferences and through her Bible studies. For the past twenty years Priscilla has been in full time ministry to women. She and her husband, Jerry, founded Going Beyond Ministries, and they count it as their privilege to serve believers across the spectrum of the body of Christ. Priscilla is passionate about ministry but prioritizes her calling as wife and mother above all. Between writing and studying, she spends her days cleaning up after (and trying to satisfy the appetites of) three rapidly growing sons: Jackson, Jerry Jr., and Jude.
Anthony Evans has voiced the gospel for more than a decade with such a melodic, thought provoking style that he has emerged as one of Christian music’s premier male vocalists, songwriters, and worship leaders. His time in Los Angeles with NBC’s hit show The Voice led him to think more progressively about his music without compromising his faith and message. With nine solo projects and multiple music videos, Anthony has set the tone by using his skill set and desire for excellence both inside the church and beyond.
Jonathan Evans, a mentor, author, speaker, and former NFL fullback, seeks to impact today’s athletes, men, and young adults by equipping and encouraging them in their faith. Jonathan serves with his pastor, friend, and father, Dr. Tony Evans, in both the local church and national ministry. Jonathan is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary with a master’s degree in Christian leadership. He serves as the chaplain of the Dallas Cowboys and co chaplain of the Dallas Mavericks. Jonathan and his wife, Kanika, are the proud parents of Kelsey, Jonathan II, Kamden, Kylar, and Jade Wynter. They reside in Dallas, Texas.
Dealing With Death Summary Of Chapters
In the span of six months Death disrupted Dr. Tony Evans and his family eight times. Chapters 1-5 describes the lives of those who were lost and the impact
1-5
“Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.”
Haruki Murakami, contemporary Japanese writer.
on the ones left behind. Along with the reset this divine disruption caused.
Chapter One Wynter In July
Chapter one starts with the sudden death of 38-year-old Wynter Pitts. A wife and mother of four young girls Wynter, a Christian author and niece of Dr. Tony Evans dies in July 2018. The Evans family is close knit; Wynter is more like a daughter than a niece.
Reflection: On November 23rd six people were killed and several others injured after a gunman opened fire in a Walmart in Virginia.
The incident is one of more than 600 mass shootings reported so far this year by the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as four or more victims shot or killed. As Christians how should we react to the sudden death of a loved one or victims of the many mass shootings we have experienced in the US.?
Chapter Two- God Knows What He’s Doing
The Evans family reacts to the grim disruptions of Wynter’s death in a conversation explored in the pages of chapter two. Dr. Evans the pastor talks about the difficulties of ministry to hurting people while you (the minister) are hurting as well.
Jonathan expresses frustration over God’s taking of Wynter at such an early age (38). He then concludes that he must put his trust in the Lord knowing that there are many things that God does which we will not understand. Anthony is upset that his father (Dr. Evans) goes ahead with a Wednesday night church
service less than twenty-four hours after Wynter’s death. He wonders how the family can be on a stage praising Jesus so soon. He wants private time for the family to grieve and says so publicly during the service. Priscilla picks up Anthony’s thought saying she felt the same way. While not publicly saying it as Antony did, she wonders how a loving God can take away Wynter so soon. She has no answer. She like the rest of the family and the church community only have grief. Dr. Evans returns to the discussion how Jesus grieved when his beloved cousin John the Baptist was murdered. Dr. Evans concludes that in the disruption of death, we will have many emotions. We can be angry but respectful. It is alright to feel the pain of God disappointing us. We should not hide our feelings but rather express them taking them to the Lord for help in figuring things out.
Reflection: Chapter two chronicles the aftermath of her death including the memorials preached by a grief shaken Dr. Evans along with his children who are Wynter’s first cousins. In Zechariah’s reset he kept working in the Temple. Anthony Evans is upset that his father (Dr. Evans) goes ahead with a Wednesday night church service less than twenty-four hours after Wynter’s death. Take a moment and construct an argument in favor of Anthony’s complaint. Then do the same in consideration of Dr. Evans decision to hold the Wednesday night church service.
Chapter Three – A New Normal
As we move to chapter two, we are in March of 2019 and the entire Evans family is in Anaheim, CA for the annual Christian Media Conference where Dr. Tony Evans was to be inducted into its hall of fame. A festive occasion is marred by the downed demeaner of the Dr. Tony Evans it’s guest of honor. By all accounts the induction ceremonies are splendid. Despite his mood Dr. Evans gives a spellbinding acceptance speech providing blessing and uplift to all. Later after the dinner, dancing, toasts, and reception Dr. Evans calls his children to his suite to announce that his wife their mother Dr. Lois Evans has terminal cancer.
Reflection: The festive occasion of the Dr. Evans’ induction into the hall of fame was disrupted with the news of Lois Evans’s terminal cancer.
In early 2020 the US economy is humming along with the stock market at record heights then on January 20th the CDC reports the first laboratory-confirmed case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the U.S. from samples taken on January 18 in Washington state and on the same day activates its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to respond to the emerging outbreak. Resulting in a complete lockdown on the US plunging the country into deep economic destress.
Question: How do we deal with the bad news of a disruption? What disruptions did Jesus’ cause? How did the people deal with the news of the disruption? How should we deal with the disruptions that Jesus brings to our lives?
Chapter Four – Move A Little Closer
Dr. Evans reflects on his life with his late wife Lois, from their meeting in her native Guyana to raising children to their work in growing the Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship to ten thousand members. They have been partners in life, family, and the ministry for nearly fifty years.
Priscilla Evans writes that six months before Wynter’s death, Arthur Evans Jr., Dr. Evans younger brother died of bone cancer. Anthony Evans then tells us that Dr. Evans sister Beverly who was the caretaker of his aging father died. Dr. Evans writes that the death of Arthur Evans Jr, was expected however, the death of Beverly his only sister was not.
Now Dr. Evans and family life faced the forbidding disruptions, the deaths of three beloved family members. Additionally, with Beverly’s death Dr. Evans became the primary family caregiver of his father all while caring for his sick wife. Grief for the family of ministers
Losing someone we love really hurts. Grief often takes over and like a vine, begins to choke the life out of our soul. Our emotions are numb. Tears don't seem to stop. All we want to do is be alone and be by ourselves. Losing a family member or a friend is a very personal and emotional experience. Even Jesus himself experienced the gamut of emotions that comes with
losing a friend. When Jesus' friend Lazarus dies, he weeps. Even though he knew he would raise Lazarus back to life, he was still overwhelmed with emotion that he just began to cry. Jesus teaches us that it is ok to grieve. It is ok to cry.
Jesus not only lost his good friend Lazarus to death, he also lost his dear friend and cousin, John the Baptist. John the Baptist died a terrible death. John was arrested by Herod, because John was vocally disapproving of Herod's sin. However, after the debase Herod watched a teenage girl's seductive dance, he gave her the opportunity to ask for anything. At the influencing of her mother, she asked for the head of John the Baptist. John the Baptist, whom Jesus called the greatest born of men, died by beheading at the request of a teenage girl. John's disciples took care of burying his body and they went to tell Jesus.
Jesus Responds to Grief
In Matthew 14:13, we are told that when Jesus heard the news about John, he got on a boat and went to a desolate place. You see, Jesus was grieving. He was heartbroken to hear what happened to John. And Jesus wanted to just spend some time alone, praying and thinking. You have to wonder what thoughts were running through Jesus’s mind when he heard the news. I imagine that he must be thinking about his mission, the cross. Jesus knows that what happened to John the Baptist is going to happen to him. Jesus knows that he came to die for the sins of humanity, and he knows that the cross is coming. I'm sure hearing about the death of John made Jesus painfully aware of his coming death, and filled with emotion, he just wanted to be alone with His father.
So, Jesus gets in the boat and heads to a desolate place. However, the crowd hears where Jesus is going. So, they travel by foot and meet Jesus on the other side. As Jesus is approaching the shore, he sees the crowds gather, waiting for him to arrive. You almost feel kind of sorry for Jesus. The guy just wants to get away to mourn the loss of his friend, and he can't get away. Life is like that, isn't it? It never slows down. You lose your family member or friend and you’re back at work the next day like nothing ever happened. All you want to do is get away and be by yourself and grieve, but the demands of life don't allow it. Life just moves too fast. Put yourself in Jesus' shoes for a second. How would you respond to seeing the crowd on the shore? You might think, "Really God, ministry now, I just want to be alone!". You might even hate these people, wishing they would just all go away. However, Jesus doesn't respond in either way. Jesus sees the crowd and he has compassion on them, and he immediately got to work healing their sick. Although Jesus grieves the loss of his dear friend, his grief empowers him for ministry. Amid his emotional pain, Jesus turned outward instead of inward. Rather than turning in on himself and thinking "woe is me", he turns outward to serve and to love the crowds.
Our Grief Empowers us for Ministry
What does Jesus tell us about how to handle grief? He tells us that we must use our grief for ministry. We must be so very careful that in our mourning we don't turn our sorrow in to selfpity and loathing. Our sorrow empowers us to love and serve others. All that hurt, all those emotions you feel, take them, and
use them to show compassion on people who desperately need the love of Jesus. In your brokenness, God can use you to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. In your desperation, your dependence on Jesus serves as a powerful testimony to this lost and dying world. It is ok to grieve. It is ok to cry. It is good to mourn for lost loved ones, but may our emotions turn outwards to radical, Gospel driven, compassion.
Reflection: During the holidays many people are grieving. How can the example of Jesus in Matthew 14:13-21 help us deal with grief?
13 When Jesus heard what had happened to John, he left in a boat and went to a lonely place by himself. But the crowds heard about it and followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he arrived, he saw a great crowd waiting. He felt sorry for them and healed those who were sick.
15 When it was evening, his followers came to him and said, “No one lives in this place, and it is already late. Send the people away so they can go to the towns and buy food for themselves.”
16 But Jesus answered, “They don’t need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 They said to him, “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish.”
18 Jesus said, “Bring the bread and the fish to me.” 19 Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking to heaven, he thanked God for the food. Jesus divided the bread and gave it to his followers, who gave it to the people. 20 All the people ate and were satisfied.
Then the followers filled twelve baskets with the leftover pieces of food. 21 There were about five thousand men there who ate, not counting women and children
Identify the disruptions in this passage Learning from Jesus how can we take the disruption and make it divine?
Chapter Five Between Expectancy And Reality
As Dr. Evans and the family tend to Lois, which includes doctor visits, keeping her comfortable at home. Daughter Priscilla has her own health situation she has a growth on her lung. Priscilla writes:
“The appointments that August stacked up quickly. Pulmonary specialist, pulmonary surgeon, more scans and tests, everything back-to-back. One day I sat with Mom at her chemotherapy treatment on the second floor of Baylor Hospital. Immediately afterward, she and Dad accompanied Jerry and me to an appointment with my lung doctor on the third floor. All we did was switch offices. It almost seemed like a joke the most obnoxious, unfunny joke ever ever but nobody was laughing. I knew my situation would only add to my family’s burden, and we were already so overwhelmed.”
The disruption of being overwhelmed
Read Exodus 18:1-18 New International Version
5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. 6 Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them.
9 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.”
12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father in law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.
13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father in law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”
15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”
17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.
Question: The holidays can be overwhelming what does this passage tell us about the Godly way to handle the disruption of being overwhelmed?
The Evans family had not disclosed the full extent of Lois’s condition to the church. However, with the increased burden of Priscilla’s condition along with the long distanced caregiving Dr. Evens was providing for his father who lived in Baltimore something had to give. They told the church; Johnathan writes about the response saying:
God’s people immediately jumped into action. Food began to arrive, and folks in the community showed up every day around noon to march around our parents’ house and pray. Even though they could not visit Mom, old friends came from far away, just to stand in the front yard and offer prayer, to be there for us in a hard time. (pp. 47-48).
Isaiah 43:1-3
New International Version
43 But now, this is what the Lord says he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior
Question: How does verse give you comfort and helps reset in times of disruption.
The Disruption That Is John The Baptist A divined disruption planned by God
God knew exactly when John needed to be born, though it didn’t make sense to his parents at the time, Elizabeth, and Zechariah. Elizabeth had been barren for many years: she was old when she became pregnant with John. Yet God’s timing was not late or early; it was right on time. He knew that John needed to be the forerunner of Christ at this specific time in history.
In these verses from Mathew 3:1 12 we see at least four disruptions caused by John that paved the way for the Jesus the ultimate divined disruption.
1) John The Baptist Disrupted Things With A Warning Of Things To Come Matthew 3: 1-3 (The Warning is backed by prophecy)
3 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming. 2 “Change your hearts and lives because the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3 John the Baptist is the one Isaiah the prophet was talking about when he said: “This is a voice of one who calls out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way for the Lord. Make the road straight for him.’” Isaiah 40:3
Question: Why is John making this warning and what is the importance that the warning is backed by prophecy.
2) John The Baptist Disrupted Things With The Way He Looked And What He Said Matthew 3:4-6 (Clothes Make The Man?)
4 John’s clothes were made from camel’s hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food, he ate locusts and wild honey. 5 Many people came from Jerusalem and Judea and all the area around the Jordan River to hear John. 6 They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.
Question: If clothes make the man what do you make of John’s attire? Why is it disruptive? Verses 5 and 6 says: 5 Many people came from Jerusalem and Judea and all the area around the Jordan River to hear John. 6 They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River. Did the people come for the way John was dressed or was it the message or both?
3) John The Baptist Disrupted Things By Telling Truth To Power Matthew 3:7-10
7 Many of the Pharisees and Sadducees came to the place where John was baptizing people. When John saw them, he said, “You are snakes! Who warned you to run away from God’s coming punishment? 8 Do the things that show you really have changed your hearts and lives. 9 And don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘Abraham is our father.’ I tell you that God could make children for Abraham from these rocks. 10 The ax is now ready to cut down the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.[a]
Question: Name three results of John speaking truth to power? Hit: look at Matthew 3:56, Matthew 3:13-16, Matthew 14: 1-12
4)John The Baptist Disrupted Things By Pointing The Way To Jesus Matthew 3:11-12
11 “I baptize you with water to show that your hearts and lives have changed. But there is one coming after me who is greater than I am, whose sandals I am not good enough to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 He will come ready to clean the grain, separating the good grain from the chaff. He will put the good part of the grain into his barn, but he will burn the chaff with a fire that cannot be put out.”[b]
The Disruption That Is Hosea Willis Martin Luther King’s John The Baptist?
Dr. King depended on Hosea Williams to organize and stir masses of people into nonviolent direct action. King alternately referred to Williams, his chief field lieutenant, as his "bull in a china closet".
Question why was John The Baptist so important to the coming of Jesus?
